Beard Dye & Hair Color for Men FAQs

For best results, we recommend washing your hair or beard 24 hours before coloring — not right before.

Washing too close to your coloring session can strip away your skin’s natural oils, which help protect your face and scalp from potential irritation. These oils form a natural barrier between your skin and the dye.

To prepare properly:

• Avoid shampooing or cleansing immediately before coloring
• Let your natural oils build up for at least 24 hours
• Optionally, apply a thin layer of beard oil to your skin before applying the dye for extra protection

Following these steps helps ensure better coverage and reduces the risk of skin sensitivity during application.

Every kit comes with personalized application instructions based on your quiz answers. We use the information you provide — including hair or beard type, gray level, and desired look — to create a custom application guide just for you.

You’ll find these instructions in STEP 3 on the back of your kit’s brochure.
Need a refresher? You can also visit our How-To section to watch videos and view step-by-step guides for every technique.

Hair and beard color products can cause allergic reactions in some people, which is why Cleverman requires a skin allergy test before use.

The test is simple: apply a small amount of the product mixture to your skin and wait 48 hours to check for any signs of irritation, redness, or itching. You’ll find full instructions for this in the Cleverman safety warnings pamphlet included in your kit.

Important: If you have a pre-existing skin condition such as vitiligo, eczema, psoriasis, or similar, do not use this product.

For full details, visit our Safety Warnings page.

Cleverman makes it easy to control your look — including Salt and Pepper styles — thanks to our precision application brush, designed with an ergonomic grip similar to a razor. This allows you to apply color exactly where you want it.

To achieve a Salt and Pepper effect:

• Focus on coloring areas like the goatee or mustache
• Leave other areas (like the cheeks or sideburns) more naturally gray
• The same technique can be applied to your hair as well

That said, we want to be clear: Cleverman does not create a perfectly blended Salt and Pepper effect (where individual hairs alternate between dark and gray). Any area where the color is applied will be fully covered.

Your technique and application strategy are what create the contrast — giving you a Salt and Pepper result that looks deliberate and natural.

Cleverman color is tested to last up to 5 weeks. However, how long it actually lasts depends on your hair or beard growth rate and the look you’re going for.

• If you're aiming for a Salt & Pepper look, you may be able to go longer without reapplying.
• If you're maintaining Full Coverage, most customers find they need to reapply every 1 to 2 weeks, especially for fast-growing facial hair like beards.

As new grays grow in, your ideal retouch frequency will vary — but our subscription option makes it easy to stay on schedule without running out of product.

When applying Cleverman beard dye, it’s important to start the timer immediately after you finish applying the mixture to your beard — not before and not during the process.

This ensures the formula develops for the correct amount of time across your entire beard, delivering even, natural-looking results.

Always follow the personalized instructions included in your kit, and only start timing once all of the product is fully applied.